Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The Henna Wars

i enjoyed the realistic take on how high schoolers deal with issues of cultural appropriation and homophobia. the end felt a bit too quick tying things up, however. i do like that the focus was on the main character developing her own agency throughout the story. the romantic side of the story was not profoundly interesting in itself, but still helped to display the complexities of life as a young person when you are “different”

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lonely_leafairy's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I might change this rating, but for now, this is the best book I've ever read.
(By the way, I have listed all of the content warnings very carefully and made sure I didn't skip any, so this is a pretty trustworthy review to go by!)
Granted, that might sound a little dramatic, but I haven't read many books, so take that opinion with a grain of salt.
I loved the diversity of the characters, and I think it is so full of plot twists and things that will make you want to cry, scream or jump with joy.
It's got so many qualities, and I might be a little biased since the main love interest is Brazillian and I'm Brazillian, but it is still a great find. It's my favorite book for so many reasons, and I simply adore it.
But, that doesn't mean that it doesn't come with its flaws.
It seems like kind of amateur writing, mainly how they used the same description, "I pressed her lips against mine," and some other things. It's repetitive and seems like a beginner's mistake. It really did lose it's meaning when you use the same bombastic description so many times. But those really are silly mistakes that I can look over, and overall, it's a great book!

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bookish_kirst's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book is based in Ireland and follows Nishat, a Muslim lesbian, who bumps into an old school friend, Flavia, and falls for her. For a school competition they have to start a business, Nishat decides to open a Henna business and so does Flavia, even though she isn't Desi.

Nishat was, at times, very self centered and honestly just kind of annoying.

The romance didn't really make much sense to me either, we understand how Nishat is made to feel everytime Flavia upsets her and yet she still forgives and falls for her, even when Flavia dismisses her discomfort at her starting a henna business and essentially appropriating Nishat's culture just to win a school cometition.

I don't know, this book wasn't awful but it wasn't great either even though it had so much potential to be.

TW/CW: racism, homophobia, outing, cultural appropriation, bullying

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colorful_lulu's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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mengzhenreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

So unbelievably sweet and wonderfully complex and poignant. Probably one of my favorite YA books to date.

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ingame's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I enjoyed the storyline overall, however there were some parts of the story that could have been filled in more. It seems like the story was cut short in parts where more background would have been nice.
The book was a quick read for me and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read an emotional yet enjoyable book.

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havvareads's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

this was super sweet yet sad at the same time and I loved it for that reason. let’s go queer muslims <3

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josoko's review against another edition

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emotional informative lighthearted

3.25

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